Don’t let the long, (mostly) blond hair fool you. Ben Wash means business. Based in Miami but hailing from Greenville, Ben already runs his own record label, King’s Head Records, along with help from his brother Daniel and friend Garcia. When he is not taking care of business, he dedicates his energy to a more artistic outlet, that of music producer and D.J. Having shown flair with music instruments at an early age – piano at 8, guitar at 13 – Ben drifted towards electronic music, after hearing Aphex Twin and seeing MSTRKRFT Bonnarro. From then on, he knew he wanted to be a producer. Pursuing his dream he moved to Miami in 2012, and whilst there he set up the aforementioned record label. His first release, The Wolf EP, introduced Wash’s signature ruthless yet smirking style. His debut LP, Snob Rock, was released in the summer of 2014. CHASSEUR threw some questions his way…
Hi Ben. You played instruments from a young age but you were influenced to make the switch to Electronic Music by the work of Aphex Twin et al. What did that music awaken in you at a young age?
The switch was caused by discovering albums like Kid A and Amnesiac. I loved how electronic music can be incorporated is a vast amount of genres. Before that, I just treated the guitar and piano as very contemporary instruments.
In 2012 you moved to Miami and started your own label. What challenges did you face in getting a label off the ground and what led to you wanting to run your own label?
Starting a business is a complete mindfuck. There’s not much else to say other than that. But what I can say is if you have a team of people who believe in something that you’re looking to pursue into, that journey becomes much more relaxing and enjoyable. The team I have inside King’s Head Records will never hear enough appreciation from me. As far as wanting to start the label and the reasoning why, I just wanted to do as much as I can with music and to be involved with artists and their path of clarity. That’s what I pay attention to when signing an artist (other than of course their ability to make good music).
Your debut LP, Snob Rock, was released in November. Were you happy with the album and how would you describe its sound to someone who has never heard your music?
Yes, I was happy to have it done and released to the public. It was a big effort and a long arduous project. I’m honestly the last person to ask when it comes to describing my sound. I like to hear what others have to say whether they’re a fan or not.
You supported the release with a short tour in the U.S.A. Any plans to tour globally?
There will always be a few unspoken plans from the label and I. This is one of them. But I am very excited to tour in the U.S. for Snob Rock. It’ll be the first time that I can really base my shows around a feeling and sound relating back to an album of mine.
Spotify. Friend or foe to the emerging artist?
Damn…what a question. There are so many views towards this issue and it’s hard to follow your own thoughts on it from time to time. My music is slightly new to Spotify as well as my presence in the music industry. I would rather comment on it from my own experience instead of someone who’s looking at the topic as an outsider. So I guess when it comes to an emerging artist like myself, it comes down to how you’d like for your music to be heard off the internet, which is where 99% of music is heard now, and how you feel towards larger corporation that might be potentially taking a certain percentage of your income that you may not agree with. Do the research and keep up with how your music gets put out there.